Al Quds day Hezbollah march

Andrew Dismore: It has been suggested by others, that the Mayor has power to ban the annual Al Quds day Hezbollah march. Do you have such powers?

The Mayor: Anti-Semitism and hate crime have no place in our city. I've raised my deep concerns about the support shown for Hezbollah at the annual Al Quds march in London on a number of occasions - and the fact the Home Secretary has finally listened and is taking action is welcome.
However, neither myself nor the Met have the power to ban marches or protest, that power lies with the Home Secretary.
I have every faith in the Metropolitan Police's operational independence and their professional judgement. Now there is clarity in the UK with Hezbollah’s full proscription, be in no doubt that any criminality at or around this year's march will be dealt with by the Met.

Wimbledon Police Station

Caroline Pidgeon: Given that it has been eight months since the decision to close Wimbledon Police Station was judged as unlawful (20th July 2018), please outline when a decision reconsidering its closure is to be made.

The Mayor: MOPAC are considering the consultation responses relevant to Merton borough, ensuring all the material points raised are reviewed. Once this has been completed my Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime will make a decision with due regard to all the points raised.

Eltham High Street improvements

Gareth Bacon: What is your response to the conclusions of the “Eltham High Street Public Realm Improvements Project Evaluation Survey”, which was submitted to TfL following the collection of public responses in summer 2018?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) provided £5.9m towards the £6.8m public realm improvement scheme at Eltham High Street, which was completed in summer 2017.
The Eltham High Street Public Realm Improvements Project Evaluation Survey, completed in summer 2018, returned over 1200 individual responses from local residents and businesses, providing useful feedback on the transformation of the High Street.
TfL advises me that most respondents said the High Street looks much better than it did before and would visit the High Street more often.
Some negative comments were also received, mainly focused on usage numbers and safety. These are being evaluated as part of a wider monitoring strategy, which includes road safety statistics, visitor, pedestrian and cycle numbers, and feedback from other groups, including local traders.
TfL requested that Royal Borough of Greenwich monitors the scheme for a period of 36 months following construction to ensure robust conclusions can be drawn from a comprehensive dataset. This is standard practice, and TfL will review the outcomes of the scheme once this monitoring has been completed.